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The only team to have appeared in all 19 World Cups that have been played, plus the leader in World Cup victories with five, the host nation will rely heavily on rising star Neymar to help overcome the overwhelming pressure they're facing to win it all.

Credit:

Joe Camporeale - USA TODAY Sports

Cameroon (World Ranking: 56)

Cameroon is making their seventh World Cup appearance, which leads all African countries, yet making it out of the Group Stage will be tough for the "Indomitable Lions" and dangerous yet aging forward Samuel Eto'o.

Credit:

Associated Press

Croatia (World Ranking: 18)

Croatia's stout midfield tandem consisting of Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic will have to be outstanding, especially since forward Mario Mandzukic is suspended for the opener against Brazil. They've finished third in the group stage in the past two World Cups after finishing third overall in their 1998 debut appearance.

Credit:

Darko Bandic - Associated Press

Mexico (World Ranking: 20)

Manager Miguel Herrera is Mexico's fourth manager since qualifying for the tournament began, but seems to have finally stabilized "El Tri." Javier "Chicharito" Hernandez looks to heat up and return to his normally electric and goal scoring form.

Credit:

Jerome Miron - USA TODAY Sports

Group B: Australia (World Ranking: 62)

Tim Cahill is the country's all-time leader in goal scoring, and will need to produce a lot of magic for the "Socceroos" to have any hope of getting out of the extremely difficult Group B.

Credit:

Rick Rycroft - Associated Press

Chile (World Ranking: 14)

Midfielder Arturo Vidal and young forward Alexis Sanchez head a Chile squad that attacks whenever they get a chance. Tabbed by many as a dark horse, Chile will in all likelihood have to notch a victory against either the Netherlands or Spain to advance to the Knockout stage.

Credit:

Witters Sport - USA TODAY Sports

Netherlands (World Ranking: 15)

The Netherlands were the runners-up four years ago in South Africa, and flashy forward Robin van Persie is one of many potent offensive players for the Dutch. But can Holland's suspect defense hold up enough for them to move on?

Credit:

Presse Sports - USA TODAY Sports

Spain (World Ranking: 1)

The defending World Cup champions are considered by many as the greatest collection of talent ever put together on one national team. A rematch of the 2010 final with the Netherlands on June 13th is one of the tournament's marquee matchups.

Credit:

Geoff Burke - USA TODAY Sports

Group C: Japan (World Ranking: 46)

A squad that relies heavily on possession but also boasts a lot of skill with Keisuke Honda and Shinji Kagawa roaming the midfield, Japan can make some noise in a group where it's especially tough to predict who will survive.

Credit:

Witters Sport - USA TODAY Sports

Greece (World Ranking: 12)

Greece is one of the most defensive-minded teams in the 32 team field in Brazil. While their world ranking looks impressive on paper, their cautious style of play may hurt them and prevent them from securing enough points to move on.

Credit:

Jim O'Connor - USA TODAY Sports

Colombia (World Ranking: 8)

Despite losing top striker Radamel Falcao to an injured knee, Colombia is oozing with talent and could very well sneak up on people in this year's tournament. They should be able to advance out of Group C fairly easily, and once there, "Los Cafateros" (The Coffee Growers) will look to wake up those who have been sleeping on their potential.

Credit:

Manu Fernandez - Associated Press

Ivory Coast (World Ranking: 23)

36 year old Didier Drogba, an Ivory Coast legend, may be suiting up for his country for the final time. He will team up with impressive midfielder Yaya Toure and try to get "The Elephants" out of the group stage for the first time in their history.

Credit:

Jerome Miron - USA TODAY Sports

Group D: Costa Rica (World Ranking: 28)

Costa Rica's defense is the team's strength; they allowed only seven goals in the last ten matches of World Cup qualifying. Alvaro Saborio's knee injury hurts their offense, so it'll be up to midfielder Bryan Ruiz to pick up the slack when it comes to creating chances and scoring.

Credit:

Kirby Lee - USA TODAY Sports

Italy (World Ranking: 9)

Andrea Pirlo is the Italian mainstay in the midfield, and likes to connect with striker Mario Balotelli to produce chances for the "Azzuri" (the Blues). If Italy can win the whole thing, it will deal Brazil two big blows, as Italy will tie them for the record with five World Cup wins as well as the added sweetener of winning it on Brazilian soil.

Credit:

Associated Press

England (World Ranking: 10)

England is always mentioned amongst the world's best national teams, yet they haven't won a World Cup since 1966. Wayne Rooney is always mentioned amongst the world's best players, but he hasn't scored in the past two World Cups. Can a group of new, younger players help England out of the group stage and live up to their fan's lofty expectations?

Credit:

Steve Mitchell - USA TODAY Sports

Uruguay (World Ranking: 7)

Uruguay arguably has the most depth at forward of any team in the tournament, with the controversial yet masterful Luis Suarez pairing up with Edinson Cavani, and 2010 World Cup Golden Ball winner Diego Forlan ready to contribute off the bench. If the back end can hold up, this Uruguayan outfit could make some serious noise.

Credit:

Presse Sports - USA TODAY Sports

Group E: Ecuador (World Ranking: 26)

Ecuador looks to overcome much of the adversity it has faced recently, including the death of striker Christian Benitez last summer, and get to the Round of 16 much like they did in 2006. Up and comer Enner Valencia looks to make a name for himself on the national stage.

Credit:

Tim Heltman - USA TODAY Sports

France (World Ranking: 17)

France should be able to make it out of the group stage fairly easily, even without star Franck Ribery, who will not play at all due to a bad back. The French side would like to get the bad taste of their 2010 World Cup disaster out of their mouths with a deep run after that.

Credit:

Presse Sports - USA TODAY Sports

Honduras (World Ranking: 33)

Honduras made it into the field in South Africa four years ago, but was simply happy to be there and bowed out after scoring only one goal in three games. Forward Jerry Bengston, an MLS stalwart, will look to lead his team to better results this time around.

Credit:

Steve Mitchell - USA TODAY Sports

Switzerland (World Ranking: 6)

Even though they're ranked sixth in the world, the Swiss are more often predicted to finish second in the group than win it. They are a very young team, with four exceptional strikers that are all younger than 25, who would like to prove the naysayers saying they're more of a threat four years from now wrong.

Credit:

Hassan Amar - Associated Press

Group F: Argentina (World Ranking: 5)

Lionel Messi is arguably the world's best player, but he hasn't produced much in the world's most important tournament. Nevertheless, Argentina is the heavy favorite in the World Cup's softest group, and have a deep midfield that could boost them to glory.

Credit:

Anthony Gruppuso - USA TODAY Sports

Bosnia & Herzegovina (World Ranking: 21)

The only team out of the 32 that is making their World Cup debut, Bosnia and Herzegovina had a plus-24 goal differential in qualifying and is led by forward Edin Dzeko. There's no doubt they can put the ball in the back of the net, but can they keep their opponents from doing the same thing? If they can, their debut could be a memorable one.

Credit:

Scott Rovak - USA TODAY Sports

Iran (World Ranking: 43)

Iran's national team's does not have much funding, so much so that Iranian soccer foundation has banned the customary postgame trading of jerseys between players. However, soccer has gained a ton of popularity there, and the "Persian Lions" have already accomplished a lot simply by qualifying for Brazil.

Credit:

Osama Faisal - Associated Press

Nigeria (World Ranking: 44)

Nigeria is a top team in Africa, but hasn't been able to establish itself against some of the world's other powers. Midfielder John Obi Mikel and forward Emmanuel Emenike are both nice pieces, but the "Super Eagles" will probably need more if they want to get out of Group F.

Credit:

Eric Hartline - USA TODAY Sports

Group G: Portugal (World Ranking: 4)

Cristiano Ronaldo is the world's best goal scorer, but can the other 22 players on the Portugese team step up and give CR7 some help? They had a tough time qualifying for Brazil, too, only further fueling their doubters; however, they are a team capable of taking down anyone, especially if Ronaldo is fully recovered from a knee injury.

Credit:

Ed Mulholland - USA TODAY Sports

Ghana (World Ranking: 37)

Ghana's painful exit from 2010's World Cup is surely still fresh on their minds, but this time around they have a healthy Michael Essien working in the midfield. Asamoah Gyan and Kevin-Prince Boateng round out a trio of stars for Ghana, who are looking to beat the US for a 3rd straight tournament.

Credit:

Witters Sport - USA TODAY Sports

Germany (World Ranking: 2)

Germany combines supreme skill with big game experience, and is a candidate for its third straight World Cup semifinal appearance. If they can avoid the injury bug, which has already hit star Marco Reus, Germany has an excellent chance to win its fourth World Cup.

Credit:

Witters Sport - USA TODAY Sports

USA (World Ranking: 13)

Jurgen Klinsmann's team is solid all around, with the reliable Tim Howard in goal, Michael Bradley orchestrating the pace in the midfield, and Clint Dempsey and Jozy Altidore up top. But, unfortunately for American fans, solid may not be enough in this demanding group; advancing to the Knockout Stage as big underdogs would be a terrific accomplishment.

Credit:

Kyle Terade - USA TODAY Sports

Group H: Algeria (World Ranking: 22)

Algeria left South Africa four years ago winless, but is an improved team this year. Striker Islam Slimani has some flair, but Algeria is not expected to make it out of the group stage.

Credit:

Associated Press

Russia (World Ranking: 19)

Russia has a good chance of finishing first or second in Group H, but their talented midfielders have to show up in order for them to do so. They are the hosts for the World Cup in 2018, but wouldn't mind causing some trouble in 2014, first.

Credit:

Associated Press

Belgium (World Ranking: 11)

Belgium not only drew an easy group, but also will have to do the least amount of traveling of any team during the group stage. Eden Hazard is a young stud up front, and Vincent Kompany is a veteran on the defensive side.

Credit:

David Richard - USA TODAY Sports

South Korea (World Ranking: 57)

22 of the team's 23 players are younger than 30, and South Korea has made it past the group stage in two of the past three World Cups, including a fourth place finish in 2002. This year, though, the odds are stacked against them, as Belgium and Russia are the favorites to move on.